Overview
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Tony Stark and Reed Richards play a game of chess while discussing recent events. Tony is still frustrated over recent terrorist attacks in the Philippines and the Stark Dynamics building in Taipei, China. They discuss the perpetrator of these attacks, Ezekiel Stane. Working together to analyze Stane's methods, Reed Richards confirms that he has been using re-purposed StarkTech to achieve his goals. Fortunately, he has not developed anything new. This gives Stark little comfort however, as Stane is using Tony's own weapons in a strategic series of attacks deliberately designed to target him. Winning the chess game, Tony leaves and returns to his private "garage" elsewhere in the Helicarrier.

While engrossed in another project, Tony's concentrated is broken as Pepper Potts enters the room. Pepper's health is improving and she has regained mobility, but she is still uncomfortable with the large magnetic ring in her chest that is keeping her alive. They talk about Ezekiel Stane and Tony tells her that he plans on seeding the black market with older Stark technology in the hopes of getting a trace on Stane's whereabouts. All this talk of weapons makes Pepper feel that the device inside of her is also some kind of weapon and she wants no part of it. She tells Tony to have it removed. Tony tells her they will discuss the issue later.

Shortly thereafter, Tony leaves the garage and has a meeting with Maria Hill. Hill is agitated that Tony has not shared the technology from his Iron Man armor with S.H.I.E.L.D. and accuses him of being selfish. Stark has little patience for Maria's abruptness to begin with, but today she happens to touch on all the wrong nerves. His anger grows when Hill makes several disparaging remarks about Pepper. They trade quips and Stark dismisses her.

Elsewhere, at an unknown location, Ezekiel Stane and his assistant Sasha make some upgrades to his tech implants. He can now power his finger repulsors without fear of energy surges. He still needs more equipment though, and sends Sasha out to salvage for parts. he continues his plot to arm more suicide bombers for hits against Stark's business interests.

In Long Island, Tony Stark sells components from his original armor to a collector named Ed Gross. He gives him instructions to put the materials out on the market and insists that nobody is to know where they actually came from. He visits several more homes of collectors of super-hero ephemera and gives them the same instructions.

Several days later, Iron Man stops an incident in Arlington involving someone using the Melter's old hardware. He simultaneously conducts a video conference with Pentagon officials, pitching Stark Industries' new anti-land mine technology.

Two days after that, he has another meeting with Pepper at the Stark Medtech facility in Boston. Pepper tells him that they will be discharging her from the hospital the following day. She still insists that Tony removes the mag-field generator from her chest, even though it might result in her being crippled or paralyzed. In her own words, "I'll be nobody's weapon". Tony reveals that the materials used for the device actually came from Rand Industries who are not in the business of developing weaponry. He assures Pepper that she is not carrying a bomb or a weapon inside of her.

Later, Tony attends another meeting with Maria Hill. Maria has triangulated the locations of Ezekiel Stane's attacks. All of them correspond to critical Stark Industries facilities. By destroying these particular plants, he could conceivably cripple the entire company. Stane doesn't just want to destroy Tony Stark. He wants to destroy his legacy as well.